Last Edited: January 26, 2026

Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: April 14, 2003

What this notice is about

  • Explains how health information about you may be used and disclosed
  • Explains how you can access your information
  • Please review it carefully

Questions / Contact

Privacy Officer, Saint Louis Counseling
Phone: 314-544-3800
Address: 5 Premier Drive, Suite 200, Fenton, MO 63026

Who must follow this notice

This notice applies to:

  • Health care professionals authorized to enter information into your health record
  • All departments and units of the Agency
  • Approved volunteers who help while you receive services
  • Employees, staff, and other Agency personnel (including personnel within other agencies of the Catholic Charities’ Federation with whom information may be shared)
  • Programs/sites/locations may share information with each other for treatment, payment, or Agency operations as described below

Our pledge regarding your health information

  • Your health information is personal, and the Agency is committed to protecting it.
  • The Agency creates records of care/services to provide quality care and meet legal requirements.
  • This notice applies to records generated by the Agency (including records created by Agency personnel and by your doctor/other practitioners involved in your care).
  • Your personal doctor may have separate privacy practices for records created in their office/clinic.

What the law requires of us

  • Keep health information that identifies you private
  • Give you this notice of legal duties and privacy practices
  • Follow the terms of the notice currently in effect

How we may use and disclose health information about you

Examples are included in the notice; not every example is listed here.

For treatment

  • Use your information to provide treatment/services
  • Share information with professionals involved in your care (e.g., clinicians, staff, students, clergy, care team members)
  • Information may be shared for intake/assessment, care planning, treatment teamwork, and aftercare coordination

For payment

  • Use/disclose information so services can be billed and payment collected (you, insurer, or third party)
  • May share information to obtain prior approval or determine coverage

For Agency operations

  • Use/disclose information to run the Agency and support quality improvement
  • Examples include: reviewing services, evaluating staff performance, sending satisfaction surveys, planning services, training/review, comparing performance with other agencies, and de-identifying data for study/analysis

Appointment reminders

  • Contact you to remind you of appointments

Treatment alternatives

  • Tell you about or recommend treatment options or alternative services

Health-related benefits and services

  • Tell you about benefits, services, or health education classes

People involved in your care or payment for your care

  • Share information with a caregiver (friend/family member) or someone helping pay for your care

Research

  • Under certain circumstances, use/disclose information for research
  • Research is subject to a special approval process
  • The Agency will generally seek your permission if a researcher would have access to identifying details or be involved in your care

As required by law

  • Disclose information when required by federal, state, or local law

Special situations

Organ and tissue donation

  • May share information with organizations involved in organ/eye/tissue procurement and transplantation

Military and veterans

  • May share information as required by military command authorities (and for foreign military personnel, with appropriate foreign authorities)

Workers’ compensation

  • May share information for workers’ compensation or similar programs

Public health and safety

May disclose information for public health activities and to prevent serious threats to health/safety, including:

  • Preventing/controlling disease, injury, or disability
  • Reporting births and deaths
  • Reporting child abuse or neglect
  • Reporting medication reactions or product problems
  • Notifying people of product recalls
  • Notifying someone who may have been exposed to a disease or at risk of spreading one
  • Notifying appropriate authorities if abuse/neglect/domestic violence is suspected (when required or authorized by law)

Health oversight activities

  • May disclose information to oversight agencies for audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, and related monitoring of the healthcare system/programs/civil rights compliance

Lawsuits and disputes

  • May disclose information in response to a court/administrative order, subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process

Law enforcement

May disclose information to law enforcement as permitted, including:

  • In response to legal process (court order, subpoena, warrant, summons, etc.)
  • To identify/locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person
  • About a crime victim in limited circumstances when the person’s agreement can’t be obtained
  • About a death suspected to result from criminal conduct
  • About criminal conduct at the Agency
  • In emergencies: to report a crime, location of crime/victims, or identify/describe/locate the person who committed the crime

Coroners, medical examiners, and funeral directors

  • May disclose information to identify a deceased person, determine cause of death, or help funeral directors carry out duties

National security and intelligence activities

  • May disclose information to authorized federal officials for intelligence/counterintelligence and national security activities

Protective services for the President and others

  • May disclose information to authorized federal officials to provide protection to the President/others/foreign heads of state

Inmates / correctional settings

  • If you are an inmate or in custody, may disclose information to the correctional institution/law enforcement for care, safety, or facility security

Other uses of health information

  • Any other uses/disclosures not covered by this notice (or applicable law) require your written permission.
  • You may revoke permission in writing at any time (doesn’t undo disclosures already made).
  • The Agency must retain records of the care provided to you.

Your rights regarding health information about you

Right to inspect and copy

  • You may inspect/copy information used to make decisions about your care (typically health and billing records).
  • Requests must be in writing to the Client Records Department: 314-544-3800.
  • Fees may apply for copying/mailing/supplies.
  • In limited cases, requests may be denied; you can request a review by a licensed professional not involved in the original denial.

Right to amend

  • You may request corrections to information you believe is incorrect/incomplete.
  • Request must be in writing to the Director of Client Records and include a reason.
  • Requests may be denied if:
  • The Agency didn’t create the information (and the creator isn’t available to amend)
  • The information isn’t part of the Agency’s records
  • The information isn’t something you’re allowed to inspect/copy
  • The information is accurate and complete

Right to an accounting of disclosures

  • You may request a list of certain disclosures the Agency made.
  • Must be in writing to the Director of Client Records.
  • Time period can’t exceed six years and can’t include dates before April 14, 2003.
  • First request in a 12-month period is free; additional requests may have a cost (you’ll be notified and can modify/withdraw).

Right to request restrictions

  • You can request limits on how information is used/disclosed for treatment, payment, or operations.
  • You can request limits on disclosures to people involved in your care/payment.
  • The Agency is not required to agree; if it does agree, it will follow the restriction unless needed for emergency treatment.
  • Requests must be in writing to the Director of Client Records and specify: what to limit, whether use/disclosure/both, and to whom the limit applies.

Right to request confidential communications

  • You can ask the Agency to contact you in a specific way or location (e.g., only at work or by mail).
  • Must be in writing to the Director of Client Records.
  • No reason required; reasonable requests will be accommodated, and you must specify how/where to contact you.

Right to a paper copy of this notice

  • You can request a paper copy at any time from any staff member.

Changes to this notice

  • The Agency may change this notice and apply changes to information already on file and future information.
  • The current notice will be posted at the Agency and on the website (if maintained).
  • The effective date appears on the first page, and you can request a paper copy anytime.

Complaints

  • If you believe your privacy rights were violated, you may contact or submit a written complaint to the Agency’s Privacy Officer.
  • If the Agency can’t resolve the concern, you may file a written complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
  • You will not be penalized and your care will not be jeopardized for filing a complaint.